Is Arkansas Setting Itself Up to Strike Out?
Among the head coaching vacancies this off-season is the one at the University of Arkansas, where a report of a possible firing surfaced as the team made a run through the SEC Tournament. Even though the Razorbacks made the NCAA Tournament, the school still fired Stan Heath, one of the more questionable moves made this off-season. Now, the school is searching for his successor, and it might not be pretty.
When Heath took over the program, it had fallen from its days as a national power in the mid-1990s under Nolan Richardson. It was several years removed from being a hot job of any sort. Since Heath began, the program has gone from winning nine games to 12, then 18, then 22 and an NCAA Tournament appearance last season, and now 21 and another appearance this season. That looks like progress, especially since the Razorbacks lost three key guards from last season and were especially hurt by the early departure of Ronnie Brewer for the NBA. They had no seniors on this season’s team, and the only returning backcourt lettermen played limited minutes last season. The team’s media guide even trumpets this progress, noting how the win total gradually went from nine to 22 last season.
In going for his successor, there is reason to believe the school will try to hit a home run, much the idea that North Carolina State had last year after Herb Sendek bolted for Arizona State. We all know how that turned out – the Wolfpack went through a good deal of negative publicity as one coach after another said “thanks but no thanks” either after an interview or something as relatively minor as his name surfacing in talks about the job. They also had no coaches out on the road recruiting during live AAU tournaments. It’s now possible that Arkansas could wind up in the same boat – going for the home run, but over-swinging and striking out.
The big problem is that Arkansas is hardly the best situation out there, but don’t try telling them that. According to reports, the school thought they could get Texas A&M’s Billy Gillispie or Kansas’ Bill Self. Before opting for an extension at Texas A&M, Gillispie was also in play at Kentucky, according to reports. Self would have to be crazy (or suddenly and quietly on the hot seat in Lawrence) to leave Kansas for the job. After that? Who knows where they go, although ESPN.com reported on Friday that hot names mentioned at the Final Four included Leonard Hamilton, who could be on the hot seat at Florida State, and Sean Sutton (Oklahoma State).
Arkansas isn’t in a position where it’s going to lure a solid, winning coach in another high-major conference. It’s not Florida. It’s not Kentucky, which also has an opening as alluded to earlier. It’s not even Alabama, for a comparison of schools in its own division. So save for someone who has roots there or is nearby, the chances of the school attracting a coach from another high-major seems pretty remote. Instead, the school’s best targets might well be rising mid-major coaches.
A hot name of late is Southern Illinois head coach Chris Lowery, who has the look of a winner wherever he is – whether he stays in Carbondale for a long time or takes a high-major job this off-season or in the foreseeable future. Detractors will say that Lowery has won primarily with inherited players, although he had a hand in recruiting many of them since he was an assistant there first. But spend some time watching them play and listening to him talk about his team, and you can see why he wins. He actually spends a lot of time on non-basketball matters with his players in addition to his ability to teach the game, and you can see the end result. His team is composed of players who know the game, and that’s apparent from watching them even once.
Another one to consider is Oral Roberts’ Scott Sutton, although a report earlier this season in a local paper in Tulsa suggested that he isn’t planning to go anywhere. He has the pedigree and has kept Oral Roberts on the rise after taking over for Bill Self, getting to the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons. Although the Golden Eagles lose the best duo in school history (and the best duo in the country no one knew about) in Caleb Green and Ken Tutt, there is still plenty of talent up and down the roster and there are no other seniors. That means he does have a good situation in Tulsa, and the program’s recent success will only help attract more talent.
We all saw how the North Carolina State coaching search went last season. No disrespect to Sidney Lowe, who did an excellent job with a thin roster this year, but he was probably not even on the school’s radar as a successor to Herb Sendek when the search began. Now that the Final Four is upon us, when coaching vacancies often get filled or close to it, we’ll see if Arkansas can avoid a similar fate.
Other Notes From Around the Nation
- Michigan is reportedly going to try to lure West Virginia head coach John Beilein for its vacancy. Wish them good luck: Beilein still has a large buyout clause and West Virginia isn’t going to drop it down, according to reports. The Wolverines could strike out much like Arkansas if reports on their search are to be believed.
- Speaking of Michigan, former head coach Tommy Amaker has been mentioned in reports about the Harvard job (he interviewed there earlier in the week), and he would be an excellent hire. He went to Duke, where academics are paramount, and Michigan is also an excellent academic institution. His wife also has a career in academia, so Harvard would seem to fit him personally. If hired, that would also give the school and the Ivy League some positive attention.
- Also on the subject of the Ivy League, Joe Scott’s departure from Princeton for the Denver job both surprised and didn’t surprise many. Considering the struggles at the school during his tenure, some thought he was on the hot seat, but that didn’t take away the surprise. But it is also fitting that Denver’s job cycle would end with a relative surprise when one considers how it began. It started with former coach Terry Carroll taking an extended leave of absence, then basically going AWOL as he did not return a series of calls from athletic director Peg Bradley-Doppes and a phone number for him could not be found.
- A definite thumbs-down goes to Iona for the way it dismissed Jeff Ruland as the head coach. According to ESPN.com, as of Thursday Ruland has not been told in person or over the phone that he has been fired. Is that the way to handle this with the guy who is perhaps your program’s greatest player ever?
- St. Bonaventure is apparently back to square one after Will Brown decided to stay at Albany and sign an extension. The Bonnies may soon be at the point where getting a current head coach will be almost impossible, but the school doesn’t want someone without head coaching experience since the last coach had none beforehand.
